Hagrid in Mirkwood
by Old Toad
Summary: When the giant spiders that he is trying to befriend waylay some travellers a young Hagrid has to act.


A youth, larger than any man should be, and a spider, as large as any nightmare, were together deep in dark woods. It was the spider doing the talking.

"The only things we care about are food and fellowship; we live simple lives in the woods as we have always done: hunting and trapping our food; feasting together when times are good; sharing when times are poor. Enemies? For the most part only other clans, we are at the top, others fear us and with good reason! Size has its benefits alright. Oh, they say there are birds up in the mountains so big that they could gobble us up like a sparrow eating ants, but that is wild talk, stories to frighten the young. There are big birds in the mountains - I've seen them afar off - but they never come near the woods. Our only real fear is fire, and for that reason we stay clear of both men and elves. We don't like arrows either, that is true.

"If we leave them and their animals alone the elves ignore us, which is good. Once, just once, a spider took a little elf. It was only a baby, but the elves were furious, as though we had killed one of their great captains. They made war; whole colonies were destroyed and uncounted hundreds slaughtered. We were driven back miles. That was years ago; we've crept back since because we've had to.

"We're feeling squeezed now: elves to the north and other clans pushing up from the south. Mirkwood is great, but it has its boundaries. There is talk of our clan leaving the woods altogether and striking west or east. I doubt it will happen; we are forest creatures; trees are our hunting territory. Food and shelter are scarce out in the grasslands and there will be men and worse to contend with. It would be a last resort if hunger drives us. But why am I telling you this, you are man are you not?"

"Well yes, I am half human and half giant," his listener replied. "But I am no enemy of yours, as I've made clear. I don't come from these parts. I've travelled further than you can imagine to be here, and when I say farewell I shall travel back to where I came from. I am here alone and as neutral as I can be; I am enemy to neither spider, nor elf nor man. As I've told you many times before I am a friend to some of the great spiders in my own land, and I've come here to learn more about spiders. I've had the privilege of learning your language."

The big spider was still agitated. "What about the sorcerer down in the south, are you in his pay, spying out the land for him and his goblins?"

"No I am not! I know nothing about the goblins here. Nor do I know anything about any 'sorcerer.'"

"But you say you are a wizard."

"I am a wizard of sorts, but I'm not here to do magic."

Getting along with spiders can be very trying, and the youth had the feeling that things were going backwards, but at this point there was an interruption. A hunting party, working as near the elves as they dared, had reported seeing a party of small men wandering off the forest path. The hunters were certain that they were neither elves nor goblins. The hunt was up.

The spiders of Mirkwood hunt together as wolves do. Unlike wolves they can move through the trees above their quarry's head, silently and at speed. The youth could not keep up. He did not have a broom stick, and even if he did he doubted that it would be much use amongst the dense trees. He was obliged to wait for the spiders to return, which they did late in the night. They had caught perhaps a dozen of the little men and had them strung up spider-fashion. He could not think what to do: the little men were still alive, but would not be for long. His sympathies were with them, but should he intervene? He could demand that they be freed and challenge the spiders to a fight if they refused, which of course they would. His only weapons were his wand and his bare hands; he was strong and would kill many, but eventually numbers would tell; he would be overpowered and killed.

While the youth was still deciding what he could do, another little man, still at large, courageously began attacking the spiders, which was fortunate indeed for the captured ones. The little man was using a powerful magic which hid him from the spiders, and he was having some success. The young wizard drew his wand and began surreptitiously helping. He was no expert at wand work, but he could manage a spell which stunned: not all the spiders that fell were hit by stones or stabbed with a magical blade. So it was that the magic-wielding little man was able to cut free his companions and help them escape from the colony.

The spiders followed the escapees, trying all the time to recapture them, dead or alive. The youth followed behind them, tracking the little men, but not getting so close as to arouse the spiders' suspicions and stunning more of them when he thought it safe to do so. Fortunately the spiders were so enraged that they had forgotten him entirely.

The little men struggled long and hard, but it was clear that their fate was only a matter of time. Desperately, the rescuer used his hiding magic again and left them, drawing the spiders away from the main party by shouts and jibes. As luck would have it he headed straight for the wizard and the two collided. The young wizard used his wand to put a shield around them both; it would give them a few moments together before the spiders could find them. He grabbed the little man's sword arm - which he could just see despite the powerful magic – or he would have received a blow himself.

"Stop, I am a friend and I'm trying to help you. You'll have somebody's eye out with that blade if you're not careful."

The little man gasped for breath, struggling in vain to free himself from the grasp of a man several times his size.

"A friend?"

"Yes, my name is Rubeus Hagrid. I am a … a visiting wizard, and I will help you all escape the spiders if I can."

Hagrid began searching his many pockets franticly, aware that time was short. He produced a little bottle and peered at its label.

"Just the thing. Drink this down, all of it, quickly, it will give you the strength you need."

The little man hesitated.

"Go on, drink it. What are you waiting for?"

"Nothing to loose, here goes," thought the hobbit and swallowed the drink with one gulp. Immediately he felt invigorated; with Sting he could take on all the spiders in the world!

"Take care little man; that potion gives strength and speed, but it won't save you from bites or stings."

"I am not a little man, I am a full-grown hobbit. Bilbo Baggins at your service."

"Good luck Bilbo Baggins; I'll stun some more spiders if I can, but the rest is up to you. Please, never ever mention me to anyone, not to the others and not to any wizard you should meet. I should not be here, and I should not be helping you. I should not have told you my name either."

The potion he had downed was having strange effects on Bilbo, for he had taken a draught sufficient for Hagrid himself. He not only felt strong and brave but also absurdly gallant. He looked around for a parting gift for this huge young man. There was a pile of what looked like oversized grapes near their feet; he scooped up one far bigger than the rest and thrust it into Hagrid's hand. He had only got as far as "Please accept …" when the shield charm broke with a "whoosh." There were spiders all around and though they could not see Bilbo, they could see Hagrid all right and made straight for him.

"Run!" yelled Hagrid and Bilbo did just that. Hagrid ran in the other direction; he could not make himself invisible like the hobbit, but he could create a diversion.

Hours later Hagrid reached the illegal portkey he had got in Knockturn Alley. He was scratched and bruised, his clothes were torn and he was in no state to run any further. More seriously, his wand was broken and furious spiders were again closing in. He had no choice but to grasp the portkey and leave Middle Earth, never to return.

The following day he thought over what had happened; he had betrayed the spiders' trust, but he had had no choice. At least he had not killed any, only stunned them, which caused no lasting harm. He could not be certain that the hobbit and his companions had escaped, but he seemed to have luck in plenty, and that counts for a lot. He cheered up when going through his pockets he found the 'present' Bilbo Baggins had handed him. He held it up to the light and smiled. "I will call you Aragog."


End file.
